PALM EQUIPMENT x HOBSON: The Eclipse – 2026 Product of the Year (Dealer Buzz)
« If you already own a creeker and a half slice, maybe it is time to see what carving a proper wave really feels like. »
Among the highlights of last year’s Paddle Sports Show was the 2026 Product of the Year Awards, organized in partnership with KS Publishing and the Paddler’s Guide. Each year, the contest spotlights the best new paddlesports gear for the upcoming season. The Dealer Buzz reflects the voice of the industry through online voting by professionals and what people cannot stop talking about on the show floor. This year, the Eclipse by Palm Equipment and Hobson took home the prize. We sat down with Paul Robertson from Palm to discuss surf performance in plastic, the collaboration behind the design, and why carving across a wave is just what we all need and want.
Hey Cheese. Congrats on winning the 2026 Dealer Buzz award for the Eclipse at the Paddle Sports Show. So, what’s that product everyone is talking about?
The Eclipse is a surf kayak built to carve, properly. Not to sit in foam. Not to bounce. To move. It is designed to travel across waves and link turns, whether that is ocean surf, a tide race, or a river feature. And because it is tough rotomolded plastic, you will actually take it there and push it.
Is kayak surfing the new playboating?
« A lot of people have either forgotten or never known how good that feels. »
Maybe not new, but it definitely feels refreshing. For years, we have been shrinking boats and chasing vertical moves. Surf kayaking brings back speed, flow, and carving big arcs. Think longboard glide with shortboard snap. It is about setting a rail and carrying momentum, not just popping up and down. For whitewater paddlers especially, it opens up a different sensation. A lot of people have either forgotten or never known how good that feels.
How much time and effort went into bringing the Eclipse to life?
A lot, just not in the obvious way. The composite Eclipse from Hobson is already a proven podium design. The challenge was preserving that feel in plastic. We spent a long time refining the hull in CAD and carefully tuning the mold so that edges, rocker, and fin box positioning translated properly into rotomolding. It was less about building endless prototypes and more about getting the details right.
Does it build on ideas or designs from previous products you, or Hobson, have created?
It brings two legacies together. Palm started in surf before becoming known globally for whitewater and touring gear, and we have decades of experience building high-performance plastic boats. Hobson Kayaks sits right at the forefront of modern composite surf shaping. The Eclipse is where that precision surf design meets durable, accessible rotomolding. Surf kayaking is not new. It has just been underexplored in plastic.
Was there a moment during development when you realised that Eclipse was special?
« That combination of performance and confidence changes how you paddle. »
Yes, when it still felt like an Eclipse. When we paddled the finished boats, they accelerated onto waves and held a rail exactly as they should. Then I hit the shelf in a tide race, the sort of impact that would write off a composite boat. The Eclipse just took it. That combination of performance and confidence changes how you paddle.
What feature or innovation are you most proud of in this product?
The balance. It is stable and predictable enough for someone newer to surf kayaking to explore carving without being punished. But because it is plastic, experienced paddlers can take it into shallow river waves or rocky tide races and push harder than they might in composite. The outfitting matters too. We wanted it to feel like a modern river boat inside. Watching a tall paddler dial it in, then a much smaller paddler use the same boat and feel equally connected, that was important to us. It lowers the barrier without lowering the ceiling.
« Let the people go surfing. » How important is kayak surfing for the Palm family?
« It lowers the barrier without lowering the ceiling. »
Surf is where Palm began. We launched the Wave Rider plastic surf ski back in the eighties, and there is genuine surf heritage within our team. Working with Hobson does not feel like chasing something new. It feels like reconnecting with our roots and doing it properly. Not nostalgia. Progression.
What is the coolest wave this boat has surfed so far?
The Bitches tide race in Pembrokeshire in the UK is hard to beat. Heading out before sunrise, waiting for the tide to build, then driving across long green faces as the light comes up, it feels like dawn patrol surfing, just in moving water. You are travelling across the wave, not just sitting in it.
Sounds unreal. How are things after a few months on the market?
We first showed it at the European Surf Kayak Championships in Easkey, Ireland (read our event report). Serious surfers on serious waves, and it felt right at home. Winning Dealer Buzz has helped paddlers and shops see that this is not niche for the sake of it. It genuinely opens up another dimension of paddling. There is curiosity. And that is exciting.
To learn more about Palm Equipment, visit their website.
Find and learn more about the Eclipse on the Paddler Guide website.
Related Posts
HOBIE: ITrek Angler – 2026 Product of the Year (Kayak Fishing) →
Palm Equipment Celebrates 25 Years of Roto-Moulding With One-of-a-Kind Palm × Hobson Eclipse →
Palm Equipment and Dagger Kayaks Celebrate Twenty-Five Years of Rotomoulding →
